When it comes to coloring your plate green, “Indian greens give us a lot of choice and a variety of preparations to make sure monotony doesn’t trouble us. This feeds us with plenty of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals along with fiber; all vital in all phases of life,” says Priya Jain, Dietician, P D Hinduja National Hospital & MRC, Mumbai. Well, if you are anticipating something familiar like palak, pudina, the results might surprise you! There’s more to explore. rnrnP.S: Be sure you clean all the greens thoroughly before use. Do not chop them and then wash. Do it the other way to gain maximum nutritional benefits. Avoid as much exposure to light and air after cutting, and use them immediately.

Turnip Greens (Shalgam ke patte)

Topping the list of the most and the more – surpasses the Indian population’s RDA for Calcium, β-carotene (precursor of Vitamin A), Vitamin K, Vitamin C; almost meets the RDA for Iron, also a good source of folate. However, somehow these greens have lost the popularity vote with new generations.

Shalgam ke patte ka salad – (serves 4, 25 kcals/serving)

Ingredients

2 cups turnip greens, shredded

1 cup mixed greens (lettuce, spinach, spring onion), shredded

1 cup tomatoes, diced

½ cup carrot, shredded

½ cup cucumber, diced

For dressing –

Lemon juice, as per taste

Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Add lemon juice for dressing and toss to coat.

Serve immediately.

Cauliflower Greens

Go unnoticed for a majority of us! When given attention; cauliflower greens pamper us with more than what we require of calcium, iron (richest of all greens), β-carotene, Vitamin K to name a few! Encompasses almost all vitamins from Vitamin B complex! What more can one want?

Gobhi Patra – (serves 4, 80 kcals/serving)

Ingredients

6-7 cauliflower leaves

60 g Besan

4 green chillies

2 tsp ginger, chopped

1 tsp sesame seeds

3 tsp tamarind + 2 tsp jaggery for chutney

1 tsp coriander seed powder

½ tsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Method

Wash the cauliflower leaves and keep aside.

Combine the green chilies and ginger and blend in a mixer till smooth and keep aside.

Sieve the besan and set aside.

Combine the besan, and the tamarind pulp and mix well and add water to make a smooth thick batter.

Add the salt and spices and mix well.

Take one cauliflower leaf and place it on the opposite side.

Spread the batter evenly on the leaf and put another leaf on top of it and spread more batter.

Fold from both sides and roll tightly. Tie with a thread throughout the length of the roll.

Repeat the method for the rest of the leaves.

Steam for one hour in a steamer or in a water bath and keep aside to cool.

Slice the roll and keep aside,

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.

When the seeds splutter, add the patra slices and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Serve hot garnished with coriander.

Drumstick greens (Saijan patta)

Again, another commonly used leaf in the non-urban areas of India. Especially important for it’s use as adjuvant in alleviating the nutritional deficiencies. Excellent source of Vitamin K and Vitamin C. (when combined with drumsticks – a perfect Vitamin C + Iron combo essential for better absorption of non-heme iron). Also very good in its calcium, magnesium, Vitamin B2 and β-carotene content along with a good protein content.

Panshi – (serves 4, 100 kcals/serving)

Ingredients

½ cup curd, beaten

2 tbsp besan

½ cup drumstick leaves

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 cloves

Few curry leaves

10-12 small dried ber

1 green chilli, slit

1 tsp ginger, finely chopped

A pinch of asafoetida

Salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

Method

Combine the curd, besan and 1½ cups of water in a bowl and mix well to dissolve all lumps. Keep it aside.

Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the cumin seeds.

When the seeds splutter, add asafoetida, cloves, curry leaves and green chilli and sauté on a medium flame for a minute.

Add the ginger, drumstick leaves, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes.

Add the curds mixture, ber and salt, mix well.

Simmer for 10 minutes, while stirring continuously.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Mustard Leaves (Sarso)

“Sarso da saag de makki di roti” and much more to offer; viz. – outstanding source of β-carotene (highest amongst all), Vitamin K. A good source of Vitamin C (¾ of RDA), Iron (½ of RDA) and Calcium (1/3 of RDA).

One of the commonly used greens in India, important from the point of view of food security. Not literally green, available in shades of red, white, green! The leaves with spine are even more nutritious. Power house of calcium (richest of all commonly used greens), Vitamin K, iron, folate; also supplies Vitamin C (75% of RDA) and β-carotene (> 100% of RDA).

Add salt and ¾ cup of water and cook for 10 minutes on low-medium flame.

Serve hot with rice or chapattis.

Colocasia Leaves (Arbi ke patte)

Different parts of India embibe colocasia leaves in their traditional cooking in unique ways. Not a new green, but needs more demand when in season. Second best source of β-carotene (surpasses the RDA manifold), excellent in vitamin K, being a green. Meets ½ the RDA for calcium, 1/3 of that of iron, ¼ of the vitamin C. Also provides good amount of folate.

Arbi wale Chole – (serves 4, 65 kcals/serving)

Ingredients

½ cup chole (soaked overnight)

4 tender colocasia leaves with stems, chopped

4 tsp coriander-cumin seeds powder

¼ tsp tamarind extract

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 bay leaf

4 red chilies, slit

A pinch asafoetida

1 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Method

Pressure-cook chana and colocasia leaves separately in cooker.

Heat a little oil, splutter coriander-cumin seed powder and grind these with red chilies, tamarind into a paste.

Famous, favorite and familiar greens for any Indian! Name it and one can recite a range of recipes which are incomplete without coriander leaves. A very good source of Vitamin C and K, β-carotene (meets more than 100% of the RDA), and calcium (50% of the RDA). Furnishes folate also. Of course, a very low calorie green, available for use by all means.

Kothimbir wadi – (serves 4, 150 kcals/serving)

Ingredients

3 cups coriander leaves, chopped

2 cups besan

½ cup onion, fine chopped

1 clove garlic

3-4 green chillies

A pinch turmeric powder

¼ tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp oil

Red chilly powder to taste

Salt to taste

For tadka –

2 teaspoon oil

½ tsp sesame seeds

Method

Coarsely grind green chillies and garlic together.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and splutter cumin seeds.

Then add chilly and garlic paste and sauté a bit.

Add onion and sauté till it turns pink.

Add salt (very little), turmeric, coriander leaves to the mixture and cook for a couple of minutes on medium flame. Pour it in a bowl and allow it to cool.

Take besan, salt, turmeric, red chilly powder and the above mixture and make a hard dough with water.

Roll this dough into a ½ inch thick roti and cut it into rectangle wadis.

Steam the wadis in a steamer and then remove it off the flame.

Garnish it with the tadka of sesame seeds and serve hot as it is or with tomato chutney.

Fenugreek Leaves (Methi)

Another familiar name and therefore familiar ways to incorporate it in daily diets. Meets the day’s requirements for vitamin K and C, Calcium and β-carotene. A safe leafy green for renal patients on low potassium diet.

Methi Muthiya – (serves 4, 130 kcals/serving)

Ingredients

1 cup besan

1 cup fenugreek leaves

1 tsp ginger, grated

Chilli powder as per taste

1 tsp coriander-cumin seed powder

¼ tsp turmeric

1 tbsp curd

1 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

For tadka –

2 tsp oil

½ tsp sesame seeds

Method Combine all the ingredients in a bowl to make a medium consistency of dough (firm but not hard) so as to allow to form it into any shape you desire.Steam the muthiyas in a steamer and then remove it off the flame.Garnish it with the tadka of sesame seeds and serve hot as it is or with green chutney.

Dill Leaves (Suva/ Shepu)

The pungent flavor of this makes it less popular, but if used in a judicious way one will find the flavor issues manageable. It more than just meets the RDA when it comes to Vitamin K and β-carotene. It’s an adjuvant in meeting requirements of calcium and iron (almost 50% of RDA), Vitamin C (25% of RDA), folate.

Dillwale Sandwich – (serves 4, 230 kcals/serving)

Ingredients

8 Wheat breads

1 cup beet, grated

½ cup cucumber, grated

½ cup dill leaves, chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp Butter

Method

Combine all ingredients except butter and bread in a bowl, and keep aside.

Butter 4 breads, and top it with the sandwich filling.

Cover the topped breads with the remaining 4.

Toast/grill and serve hot.

Raddish Leaves (Mooli ke patte)

Out-does the RDA for vitamin K and C, and β-carotene. Meets 2/3 requirement of RDA for calcium. Good dietary fiber source. Majorly discarded as waste, so needs a better consideration for the nutritional benefits it offers.

Mooli ke Hare Paranthe – (serves 4, 100 kcals/serving)

Ingredients –

1 cup spinach, chopped

1 cup wheat flour (extra for dusting)

¼ tsp Whole cumin

¼ tsp kalonji

¼ tsp ajwain

Salt and Red chili powder as per taste

2 tsp oil

Method

Cover and cook spinach in a steamer/ microwave and puree.

Roast cumin seeds, kalonji and ajwain seeds in a pan over a low flame till the roasted aroma comes, then grind coarsely.

Add them to the flour along with oil, chilli powder and salt.

Add warm spinach puree, little at a time and knead well to make firm dough.

Cover and leave aside for 20 minutes.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium flame. Knead the dough once more and divide into 4 balls.

Roll the dough balls to make paratha and roast them well on the non-stick pan.

Famous, favorite and familiar greens for any Indian! Name it and one can recite a range of recipes which are incomplete without coriander leaves. A very good source of Vitamin C and K, β-carotene (meets more than 100% of the RDA), and calcium (50% of the RDA). Furnishes folate also. Of course, a very low calorie green, available for use by all means.

Kothimbir wadi – (serves 4, 150 kcals/serving)

Ingredients

3 cups coriander leaves, chopped

2 cups besan

½ cup onion, fine chopped

1 clove garlic

3-4 green chillies

A pinch turmeric powder

¼ tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp oil

Red chilly powder to taste

Salt to taste

For tadka –

2 teaspoon oil

½ tsp sesame seeds

Method

Coarsely grind green chillies and garlic together.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and splutter cumin seeds.

Then add chilly and garlic paste and sauté a bit.

Add onion and sauté till it turns pink.

Add salt (very little), turmeric, coriander leaves to the mixture and cook for a couple of minutes on medium flame. Pour it in a bowl and allow it to cool.

Take besan, salt, turmeric, red chilly powder and the above mixture and make a hard dough with water.

Roll this dough into a ½ inch thick roti and cut it into rectangle wadis.

Steam the wadis in a steamer and then remove it off the flame.

Garnish it with the tadka of sesame seeds and serve hot as it is or with tomato chutney.